good morning. death of a movie star. paul walker, one of the headliners in the wildly popular "fast & furious" movie series killed in a terrible car crash in southern california. this morning the latest on that investigation. and they're off. after several delays and waiting in the bitter cold, prince harry and his warriors begin their dangerous journey to the south pole today. and last-second miracle. auburn stuns alabama on the last play of the game with a run for the ages. >> there goes davis. davis is going to run it all the way back! auburn's going to win the

football game! auburn's going to win the football game! >> a 109-yard run for the record books. the memories for a lifetime. and plenty of fans calling this one of the greatest college football games of all time today. sunday, december 1st, 2013. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today." with lester holt and erica hill. live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. and welcome to "today" on this sunday morning. i'm erica hill. >> and i'm lester holt alongside dylan dreyer and andrea canning who is in for jenna this morning. two things about that auburn/alabama game. first of all, i hope the announcer is resting his voice. second of all, chris davis must have already watched this highlight a dozen -- two dozen times. i've watched it a dozen times. he catches this ball in the e zone, a missed field goal. >> it's incredible. >> and there he goes. >> i could not believe the speed. like you, i think i've probably

seen it at least a dozen times now. he'll probably continue to watch it for the rest of his life. of course, such a big rivalry. we had some alabama fans outside the window a little earlier. they were looking a little sad. extra sting there. >> stunning is the word of the day. we've got a lot of news to get to. >> we want to begin with the death of actor paul walker. it seems to many an ironic twist of fate. the actor who was best known for his role in "the fast & the furious" series, films about fast cars. that accounter ended up dying in a car crash. fans and celebrities alike taking to social media to express their grief as soon as that news broke. we have alicia in the orange room with more. good morning. >> good morning. it could be days before police know exactly what caused this horrible crash. we do know that paul walker was attending a charity event for his organization, reach out worldwide. he was raising money for typhoon victims in thailand. and paul was only 40 years old. his untimely death has left hearts across the world

absolutely broken including his co-stars who all took to social media to express their grief, their shock, their condolences. we see here vin diesel. they've known each other for 14 years, seven "fast & furious" movies. he says my brother and i aimed for the stars together. we achieved more than we ever could have hoped. tyrese also took to twitter and said, "my heart is hurting so bad. no one can make believe this is real. i just don't understand. my heart hurts." ludacris, other co-star, took to twitter. "your humble spirit was felt from the start. wherever you're blessed with your presence, we were like brothers. our birthdays are only one day apart." funeral arrangements have not been announced yet. we know paul had a teenage daughter. >> horrible story. such a tragic irony to the way he died. >> on his twitter page, he says that he loves cars, adrenaline,

ocean, a native of glendale, california. >> alicia, thanks. want to turn now to the latest on the health care website. the white house, if you recall, promised it would be running more smoothly by today. and with people nationwide returning from their holiday vacation now going online, this is crunch time. kristen welker is live at the white house. kristen, what will people expect to see when they log on? >> reporter: well, lester, administration officials say this website will be functioning smoothly for most americans. they're expected to announce a little later on today that the site can support as many as 50,000 users at one time. that was the initial goal when they started repairs. but the question is will that be enough to restore confidence in the website and an embattled president? president obama is facing one of the biggest tests of his presidency, has his administration revived healthcare.gov? this weekend some positive signs. >> everything went smoothly. >> reporter: shawn pete is a virginia-based barber who is eager to get health care for himself and his kids.

>> i love it. there were no problems. >> reporter: it was also smooth sailing for deirdre. she said she had trouble signing up in october, but saturday, success. >> well, i was able to get all the way through, and i was able to select a plan. >> reporter: nbc news spoke with six people who said with the exception of a few glitches, the site functioned well. a nonprofit called neighbor's keeper helped them enroll. >> the ease of creating an account for folks has been significantly improved and the speed with which we were able to do so. >> reporter: in a saturday statement, an administration official said the site is performing well today with low overall error rates and response times despite heavier than usual weekend traffic. but web experts caution serious work remains. >> the largest challenge with this site is just making sure that it stays up and running. >> reporter: john engates is one of six analysts the white house invited to inspect the facility where technicians are working around the clock to fix the website.

he says ultimately it needs to support more than 50,000 users. >> this is a website that was in critical condition at the outset. i mean, it was in bad shape. i think this website is doing much better. >> reporter: now, some insurance companies are saying that they are still seeing some problems. administration officials continue to downplay expectations, urging people to log on during off-peak hours. we will get an official update a little bit later on this morning. that's when those who are working on the site are going to hold a conference call with reporters. lester, back to you. >> kristen welker, thanks. david gregory is moderator of "meet the press." good morning. good to see you. >> good to see you, lester. >> the promise here is it would be running more smoothly by the beginning of december. how will they manage expectations going forward? >> very carefully. as kristen said, they want to monitor how people get onto the site. they don't want people to go too quickly. they want to target key groups. they've got to fix some of the

back-end part signing up which is getting information to insurance companies. and they want to do something else as well. over time, they also want to deal with the fact that people are not going to necessarily choose a plan right away. they may become eligible, but they may not actually select a plan right away because people will linger over that decision. >> so is the white house, does the president continue to be vulnerable going forward? they obviously have to reach a certain number of people to sign on for this plan to be effective overall. >> yeah, they need 7 million people by next march, 2.8 million need to be young people for the risk pool to work out. there's also a lag effect here. remember, they want more and more stories of people getting on the site and navigating it well because people are still under the impression -- you look at all the bad media coverage they've gotten -- that they can't do this well, that nothing is working. so there's going to be a lag time even when it does start working. and don't forget, there's other tests as well. what's the impact on employees? are premiums going to go up? there's still lots of impacts to this. and a big policy question as to whether that individual mandate, that individuals have to buy the

insurance, might that be delayed? other people -- other parts of the program, i should say, have been delayed. will they come to a point where they feel they have to delay that? >> i'm curious, do we have a sense of how bad the political damage is, not only over the website but the president's broken promise over folks being able to keep their existing plans? how bad is it for him? >> i think it's very bad. i think that the president had a big idea, and the jury is out on whether he can execute on that idea. and that is the big government test. because especially progressive government believes they can do good by people, do well for people. they've got to be able to execute on that. the white house understands that that jury is still out, and that's why the next weeks and months are critical. >> david, thanks very much. we'll check in with you a bit later for a preview of what's coming up on "meet the press," but thanks for now. >> thanks. the family of the 85-year-old american veteran being held in north korea says he's in good health. that information coming from the swedish ambassador who was able to visit merrill newman on saturday. and now the white house is calling for newman's release.

>> reporter: after merrill newman received his first visitor, his family reported good news. he has received the medications that we sent him and medical personnel are checking on his health several times a day, they said in a statement. merrill reports he is being well treated and that the food is good. the white house released a statement this weekend saying it was deeply concerned about the welfare of newman along with american kenneth bay who was detained more than a year ago. >> we're always hopeful that this increased attention to the case is moving things along, that it's moving in the right direction. >> reporter: as for newman, he's a korean war veteran who now calls california home. last month he fulfilled a dream by returning to north korea for a nine-day visit, but a military officer took him into custody at the airport as he was about to leave. on saturday, video of newman surfaced. it was released by north korea's state media which says newman apologized for alleged hostile

acts including civilian deaths during the korean war. he could not be confirmed if newman himself wrote the four-page apology, but experts say the video could be a positive sign of north korea's intentions. >> this may be a prelude to figuring out what it can extract from the united states for this release and then the release. >> reporter: for "today," joe friar, los angeles. we want to get a look at the morning's other top stories. >> we should point out that jenna will be back next week from maternity leave. we are happy to have andrea canning with us. >> so happy to be here. good morning. the search continues this morning for victims of that deadly helicopter crash in scotland saturday. annabel roberts i in glasgow with the very latest. annabel, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. it has been very busy here at the crash site with a constant stream of people coming to lay

flowers. now, police say they have pulled one body from the wreckage this morning. three people -- three of the dead have been identified. since first light, they've been at work on the roof of the pub. carefully removing the wreckage of the broken helicopter. people struggling to believe this has happened in their city. at least eight people died here when the police chopper fell from the sky like a stone according to one eyewitness. crashing into the packed bar friday night. police say they still do not know if more bodies are trapped inside. >> i have to ask you to imagine the situation where the helicopter has come down and is almost literally sitting in the middle of the building. and until that is resolved, we can't know everything that is in that building. ♪ >> reporter: at churches across glasgow this morning, they've come to mourn. >> we pray for those who have

tragically lost their lives in this incident, and we pray for our city of glasgow. >> reporter: the question they're asking, how could this happen in a busy city center? police say it will take some time to put the pieces together and provide answers. a full investigation has been launched into this fatal accident. the people really have one key question, how could this have happened? andrea. >> thank you, annabel. and we're learning new details this morning about the plane that crashed in a remote village of southwest alaska friday night. a 25-year-old woman whose 5-month-old baby died in the crash led rescuers to the scene. the woman walked nearly a mile toward lights in the village of st. mary's to meet searchers. the single-engine plane was carrying ten people when it went down, killing four people including the baby. miami dolphins' tackle jonathan martin will not be returning to the field this season. the nfl has placed martin on

their reserve nonfootball illness list which means he cannot return until next season. martin left the dolphins in october after accusing teammates of harassing him. miami suspended lineman richie incognito as a result, a move he is appealing. a new world record for 63 women from across the globe. the female skydivers linked hands and took a plunge to make history. saturday over the arizona desert, they set the world record for the largest all-female formation while jumping head down. they jumped from three planes at 18,000 feet. and everyone's talking about it. do you believe in football miracles? well, if you're an auburn football fan, you probably do now. if you're an alabama fan, probably not. the team pulled off a stunning upset saturday, knocking off top-ranked alabama in a play that can only be described as magical. >> oh, my god! >> davis is going to run it all the way back! auburn's going to win the football game!

auburn's going to win the football game! >> with one second -- one second left in the game, alabama goes for the win with a 57-yard field goal attempt. but it falls short and into the hands of auburn's chris davis. davis dashes down the left sideline all the way to the end zone. and you're seeing the celebrations. you heard it, auburn wins the game, 34-28. can you just imagine chris on campus tomorrow? >> big man on campus. i don't think the crowd has left the stadium yet. they were celebrating. >> i don't think they have. we were kidding around at our house last night. you could barely fit another blade of grass on that field. every single person had poured onto it. >> pretty exciting. >> what a moment. thanks. dylan is here with our first check of the forecast. good morning, dylan. >> good morning. big travel day, of course, today. and the good news is the weather looks fine to do it. we aren't seeinger looks fine to do. we aren't seeing a lot going on across the country. clouds through texas and lake effect rain and snow showers.

it's a bigger storm system in the northwest. that is going to bring some travel troubles perhaps to seattle area. pockets of heavier rain from the seattle into portland, oregon. we have some mountain snow. it looks like it's at a level that's above the pass levels between the mountains. from west to east across washington state should be okay. flood watches for seattle through the day today and tomorrow. that's a look at weather across the country. >> good sunday morning to you. i'm amelia segal, in for chuck bell. a cold start this morning. temperatures in the 20s across the area. washington the warm spot. coming in at 31. improvements today compared to yesterday. high of 47. more sunshine, too. mostly to partly sunny skies throughout the day. and that is your latest forecast. lester?

thanks, dylan. prince harry's long wait to begin his add ventower to the south pole is over. he and his team of wounded warriors are off to the bottom of the world today. ayman mohyeldin is in london. >> it can be fun and games especially with the kind of headlines prince harry has been making in recent years. this time he's making headlines for the right reasons, a good cause and one that is certainly not without risk and injury as his journey to the south pole finally begins. >> reporter: after days of waiting and training, prince harry and his wounded warrior teammates finally have the go-ahead to begin their race to the south pole today. they arrived a week ago, eager to start. >> it's amazing how in six hours your morale can go from -- i mean, it was pretty high. >> too high. >> almost pouring over the edge. and suddenly rock bottom. >> reporter: but mother nature had other plans. severe weather continues delayed the start. the down time gave harry and his teammates even more time to

prepare. and a chance to reflect about why he got into this in the first place. >> for the team, probably, on my part. >> reporter: joking aside, this journey is no laughing matter. >> it really was a case of how i just have to do this. if i'm given the opportunity, it means i can actually help these guys out, creating more awareness for them or whatever. then, you know, so what it's minus 50, so what it's 90-mile-an-hour winds? >> reporter: it is extremely challenging, two weeks of trekking up to 13 miles a day in subfreezing temperatures and potentially deadly crevasses. duncan slater lost both of his legs in afghanistan. >> your body heat really drains out of the bottom of your legs when they're attached to your prosthetics. >> reporter: along with harry are teams from the commonwealth and the u.s. men and women all racing with a purple, to raise money for injured soldiers. so after months of training and days of waiting, the race to the

pole is finally getting under way. and there's no doubting who harry thinks will win. >> obviously the uk will win. >> well, there you heard prince harry saying the uk will win this race. obviously despite the cordial atmosphere in the camps and camaraderie among the teams, this is still a serious and competitive race. but really the true winners will be all of the injured soldiers who will benefit from this journey and all the money it will raise. lester? >> ayman, thanks very much. coming up next on "today" -- >> you'll shoot your eye out, kid. ho ho ho. >> no! >> celebrating 30 years of a holiday movie classic. right after this. ♪ she's not famous. ♪ she's never been on a red carpet. ♪ but she's the star of my life. [ female announcer ] kay jewelers presents a collection from hollywood's premier jewelry designer neil lane designs.

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doorbusters. for many americans, though, it's really these holiday movies we see on a continuous loop that helps us set the mood. >> it's all about tradition. "a christmas story." this year marks 30 years since it was first released. i love this scene. who doesn't love that scene? joelle gargiulo has a look back at that and how the city where it was filmed is celebrating. >> come on, smarty. >> reporter: chances are you'll never stick your tongue onto a frozen lamp post. and it's all because of this iconic scene. >> don't! >> reporter: it makes some cringe. >> it's terrible. >> reporter: some laugh. >> you think it's funny? >> reporter: but most can't help take a trip down memory lane just thinking about the 1983 classic, "a christmas story." >> oh -- >> reporter: 30 years later the holiday tale about a boy named ralphie and his wish for a bb gun is still a cult classic. >> i've seen it probably 100 times.

>> it's like the funniest story i've ever seen. >> reporter: now fanatics far and wide are getting a chance to relive the film and take a walk in ralphie's shoes thanks to brian jones who bought and renovated the cleveland house where parts of the movie were filmed. how does a town celebrate three decades of leg-shaped lamps and triple dog dares? >> i triple dog dare you. >> reporter: with appearances by the original cast members and a bb gun range in the backyard, of course. but be warned. >> you'll shoot your eye out, kid. >> reporter: for "today," joelle gargiulo, nbc news, new york. >> ho ho ho. >> no! >> and look what we have here. the miniature leg lamp. i will turn it on. it looks like i'm going up the skirt. but there it is. remember the box it came in, it was italian, fragile? >> and you've actually been to that house. >> i have. we did a story a couple years

ago, we visited that house and the bathroom is there where he got his mouth washed out with soap. it's such a great movie. >> i notice every year when it's on that 24-hour loop, i always catch it in the middle, watch it to the end and then watch the beginning. i've never watch it had from beginning to end. >> oh, that's funny. >> but we can all recite the lines. >> i know every one. >> i will reach up here and turn the lamp off. >> twice in one morning. >> talk to me after the show. still to come on a sunday edition of "today," from clothing to troys and everything in between, we've got the secrets to finding the best deals tomorrow on cyber monday. but first, these messages. what can i do with my $7 a month anemail the school. acfone? call the doctor. text the groomer. find gear for soccer. send invites to a party. post karate pics. help sean with history. battle of hastings... 1066. all that with my android from tracfone... now with three times the talk, text and data for as low as $7 a month. unbeatable nationwide coverage without a contract.

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good morning. 8:26 on this sunday, december 1,

2013. i'm richard jordan. volunteers about to revisit the last place a missing virginia girl was seen. they'll search in nelson county for alexis murphy, last seen at a gas station august 3rd. 48-year-old randy taylor charged in his disappearance. he claims he was not the last person to see her. metro trying to make things easier for airline passengers after a long holiday weekend. metro's running extra bus service to and from the airports. it added 200 extra buses. also, keepers at national zoo name the giant panda cub born at the zoo 100 days ago. 123,000 people voted for the name online. the zoo waited

the cub. last day of the long holiday weekend but the first day of the month. amelia segal. >> we're gng it see improvements with the weather, warmer today, more sunshine than we had yesterday. right now, cold, temperatures in the 20s outside of washington. washington coming in at 31 degrees. by the water, locations there, in the low 30s. as we work throughout the day, mostly to partly sunny skies. high temperature 47 that will hit around 4:00 p.m.

during afternoon, temperatures mainly in the low to mid-40s. warmer tomorrow, high of 50, mostly cloudy skies. warm-up through the end of the week. >> back we're back on this sunday morning, the first day of december, 2013. did i say the first day of december? >> you did. >> wow! >> and it's my husband's birthday. >> happy birthday, brian. >> hey, brian. our crowd on rockefeller plaza here to celebrate brian's birthday. but also here to join us which we're happy to have them. and taking lots of pictures this morning. and we thank all of them for spending part of their sunday with us and you at home as well, nice to have you here. i'm lester holt along with erica hill, dylan dreyer and andrea canning. >> it is also world aids day. a lot happening here on the show. we want to first get you caught up on the morning's headlines. actor paul walker was killed in a fiery car crash on saturday. walker is best known for his role in "the fast & furious"

movies. he was 40. today we'll see if the weekend fixes for the healthcare.gov website. officials say the site should now be able to handle 50,000 users at the same time. and an unbelievable game that many fans are calling the greatest football game ever. as long as they're not from alabama. auburn with a last-second upset against alabama, winning the game 34-28. >> amazing. and still to come in this half hour, the biggest internet shopping day of the year. we'll tell you how to find the best deals on cyber monday. and did you ever wonder how santa gets all his look-alikes to help out arnold the country? i checked out santa school. it was amazing. >> this is good because we were having this conversation at our house the other day. so you can answer some of the questions for me. >> i have a lot of answers to a lot of questions. also ahead, we're going to speak with two of the stars of nbc's upcoming live production of "the sound of music" as they prepare for their big performance later this week. >> a lot to get to.

let's begin with the power of the internet. a fifth grade teacher wants to teach her students about the dangers of posting photos. so she did a little experiment. and she tells us what happened next was a huge surprise even to her. here's janet shamlian. >> reporter: when julie posted this photo on her facebook page, the tennessee teacher never dreamed some 5 million people would end up seeing it. or that her selfy would be altered in dozens of ways like this. and this. and with a tip of the hat to john madden like this. >> i really wanted to have a way that i could show them how quickly things travel. >> reporter: cope was lesson planning at indian lake elementary in hendersonville, tennessee. in the photo, she's holding a note that says, "i'm talking to my fifth grade students about internet safety and how quickly a photo can be seen by lots of people. if you are reading this, please click like. thanks!" within hours, thousands had liked and shared the photo on facebook. then it really took off.

a worldwide audience in just a few days after it was reposted on various websites. views skyrocketed. >> it was definitely a little overwhelming. i didn't expect that. that's kind of the lesson is to teach the kids that anyone can see it. >> reporter: a lesson for julie as well. she changed her facebook privacy settings after discovering personal photos were publish viewable. and then there are the manipulations of julie's original photo. the internet had a field day with it. >> this teacher's experiment was fun. and it was relatively harmless. but it can have serious consequences from personal information to sense tiitive photography that you don't want people seeing, private details about your life. >> reporter: even with the alterations, julie says she has no regrets. >> i'm really pleased that it's been able to give other people something to talk about with their kids. >> reporter: and how anyone can take liberties with an online photo. for "today," janet shamlian, nbc news.

>> i think lesson learned. >> such a great lesson. >> isn't it? she'll also find out that will live forever. another lesson of the internet. >> for a long time. time now for a final check of the weather. dylan is outside. >> good morning, everyone. 60 years old today. are you having fun? >> friday. >> well, friday. did you get a lot of shopping done while you were here? >> yes, we all did. >> i'm sure there's still more to do. there's always more shopping to do, but still a few weeks to do it. we are going to see a very warm air mass out west. try to move eastward over the course of the next couple of days. but look at what happens behind that warm air.west, trying to move eastward. look what happens behind that warm air. arctic express. it's well below average as we get into the middle of the week. seattle from 40 to 33 on wednesday. denver, dropped from 64 to 22 billings, 49 down to 3 degrees. that's all we can get out of

next wednesday, 3. that's a storm system that will bring rain to seattle, snow to the rockies and idaho and montana. that's a look at the weather across the country. >> i'm storm team 4 me meteorologist amelia segal. we'll be warmer today than yesterday. 31 in washington right now. and high of 47 that will hit around 4:00 p.m. for the afternoon, mostly to partly sunny skies. as we continue into the week, temperatures warm a little bit each day. for tomorrow, cloudy, high of 50. by and we are heading out to the northwest for today's top spot. coming to us from our affiliate ktvb in boise. it's the festival of trees. every thanksgiving week boise transforms into a winter wonderland filled with dozens of trees and plenty of holiday spirit and santa, of course, is even expected to make a surprise visit. so if you're looking for a little bit of holiday as we wrap

up thanksgiving weekend, boise is certainly the place to be. not bad. lester? >> all right. i hope they play that music, too. nice. up next, no need to leave your couch to get your shopping done. some of the deep discounts you'll likely see on cyber monday with a little something for everyone on your shopping list. it's right after these messages. hey there, i just got my bill, and i see that it includes my fico® credit score. yup, you get it free each month to help you avoid surprises with your credit. good. i hate surprises.

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this morning in "today's consumer," getting ready for cyber monday. and it's the biggest online shopping day of the year typically, and you and everyone else out there could be spending some $2 billion tomorrow alone. kristen dahlgren has a look at what you can expect. >> reporter: after black friday scenes like this, you can understand why so many prefer to shop from the comfort of their computers. >> i would much rather shop online than deal with black friday crowds. >> the orders go in. you know it's going to be shipped in a timely manner, and

you don't have to deal with the hassle. >> reporter: retailers like target are rolling out the red carpet for cyber monday shoppers. >> over 100,000 items will be on sale or on special deal at target ko target.com. our offers will go live in the middle of the night. the amount of people that stay up and immediately start purchasing is pretty awesome. >> reporter: small businesses are also getting some skin in the game. >> if the customer wants, we can locate a town with a heart, star or house. >> reporter: a. heirloom is offering a 20% off coupon, a sale that pays off as shoppers search for that perfect personalized gift. >> cyber monday is the equivalent of one month's worth of orders. we will probably see about one board sold every three minutes. and then with peak activity, one board being sold every 20 seconds. >> reporter: and all that shopping turns into shipping.

fedex is expecting its biggest day ever on monday, 22 million packages. there you go. that's up 11% from just last year. cyber monday keeps delivery men busy, but does it really deliver the deals? >> cyber monday is worth the wait. i mean, if you're looking for clothing and shoe deals, then cyber monday, even cyber sunday, the day before, is your day to shop. dozens of major retailers are offering sitewide discounts from 20% to 80% off. >> reporter: a chance for bargain hunters to click their way to big savings. for "today," kristen dahlgren, nbc news, new york. and "today's" lifestyle contributor elizabeth mayhew is here. good morning. i'm ready. sploo we're focusing on smaller companies that you might not have heard of where there are great deals. let's start with sea wonder. you can buy everything from clothing to jewelry. if you buy four items, put them in your cart, they can be items on sale or full price, you get 40%.

>> but you have to get four. >> to get the 40%, but it's still great and you can almost buy gifts for everybody on your list. we've got pajamas, sweaters, slippers, you name continue p >> a lot of interesting things. things with monograms you can give somebody. >> exactly right. so check that out. next, brooks brothers. brooks brothers has free shipping. you'll be looking for free shipping almost everywhere. they also have sweaters for both men and women at 30% off. and then they have another 10% off coupon. so this is about bundling. you get actually 40% off and free shipping. so that's a great deal on men's and women's sweaters. >> that's for clothing. it's also a great day to look for tech deals online. >> great tech deals. of course, you're going to check your sick lars and have gotten tons of e-mails, i'm sure, but check out ihome. ihome has everything from speakers to alarm clocks to headphones. and those are all 50% to 75% off. >> 50% to 75%? now you're really speaking my language. >> sigtewide. check out staples. it has this dell computer, a

touchscreen, 15-inch. that's savings of $120. so it's a really big savings. >> radio flyer, these are such classic, i mean, they're iconic, that red wagon and they're having great deals. >> they are. of course, toy shopping, you can go crazy. but what they're doing is they're doing a mystery deal every two hours. that starts 7:00 central standard time. so if you're in new york, that's 8:00 a.m. >> okay. >> and every two hours there will be a different deal. it's a surprise. so sometimes it's ride-ons, sometimes it's the trikes. >> does it ever come with this cute little guy? because you know any child at home will want the scooter and the little monkey. >> stick in another little surprise gift. head to toys "r" us for select deals on nerf. and lite brix, it's buy one, get one free. >> i feel like i started to see a lot of those buy one, get one free deals. yesterday lester holt said to me, i'm a little behind on my shopping. i think everyone's getting

popcorn this year. did he call you? >> popcorn is a super popular gift. especially for families. food is always -- if you don't know what to give, you can always give food. so the popcorn factory has 30% off on select tins which is a great deal. and then godiva has a 40% off on some gift baskets and boxes. and they're quite big and large. so you can also, you know, get deals that way. >> and then you can maybe share them with someone who has an office next door for you. just a thought. >> i have a feeling you're getting popcorn. you can give them knowledge. >> great deals. i'm excited for them. elizabeth, thanks so much. just ahead, dylan is off to santa school. but first, these messages. ♪ [ male announcer ] even well-planned holidays can wind up at the corner of "stockings are stuffed" and "quick -- duck!" luckily, walgreens is always nearby, so it's easy to get in and out for extra stocking stuffers...

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ho ho ho! >> everybody, of course, knows there is only one santa claus, but this time of year he is frankly so busy, he needs a lot of stand-ins. >> that he does. and luckily, there is a place in michigan for santa's helpers. it's a special school where hundreds of people have traveled to learn how to give the big guy a hand and dylan went. >> clearly. >> which one of us went? >> gee, i don't know.

>> you know, it's not easy being mrs. claus or kris kringle. at santa claus school, the students learn that firsthand. and of course i learned how to become the perfect mrs. claus. >> reporter: it's beginning to look a lot like christmas, but this isn't the north pole. >> holy peppermint sticks, look choose here! >> reporter: in midland, michigan, santa -- correction, 120 santas -- are making their lists and checking them twice. >> ho. ho! >> they're looking you up and down. they're staring at your hair. they're staring at your eyes, your fingers, your lips. >> reporter: at the charles w. howard santa claus school, an annual three-day crash course in all things father christmas, and the perfect place to clear up a few questions that have been on my mind. so are you the real santa, or are you santa's helper? >> i'm one of the helpers.

>> does mrs. claus have a first name? >> some people like to call her mary. >> how many rain dear . >> prancer, dancer, comet, cupid, donnder and blitzen and f course rudolph. >> reporter: started 76 years ago, this school the oldest in the world attracts kris kringles from across the country. >> those fellows in there, they're portraying the image of santa. they want to show people this man that stands for all good things. >> reporter: santa dave becker is a retired principal from illinois. and from indiana, santa larry schuler manages a utility company. ♪ you know dasher >> reporter: the curriculum leaves no detail out when it comes to old st. nick. you can't have santa school without having reindeer. >> i think it's important they get to see what one acts like and looks like. >> reporter: which two reindeer do you have here? >> comet and blitzen. >> reporter: but really, what is

santa without his missus? what is it about the spirit of chris that is that mrs. santa also has to embrace? >> remember it's a privilege. it's an honorary position. >> santa! >> the spirit of christmas is love and giving. it grows in everyone's heart. ♪ santa claus is coming to town ♪ >> and, vthe role of mrs. claus is important. sometimes kids can be scared of the big guy. we have to warm them up a little bit. this is fellow student jerry owens. i still you still have the stardust in your beard. >> that's from flying at high altitudes in an open sleigh. >> i've got a question. >> yes. >> how do you get to all those houses in one night, santa? >> if you ate as many cookies as i did in one night, you'd be in overdrive, too. >> and do the carrots really --

do the carrots -- do the reindeer really like the carrots? >> yes, they do. >> they don't have any other requests this year? >> y'all don't have what they really need, and that's a thing called lycra. that's what they really like to eat. it's like a moss that grows on trees. >> what are boys and girls asking for this year? >> well, really it stays the same. the smaller children are asking for blocks and dolls. the children in between are asking for remote-controlled vehicles and dolls they can dress up that look just like themselves. and then the oldest children, they're asking for electronics. we'll see what we can do about that. but it still beats a pair of christmas socks. >> there you go. >> i have a question, is dylan the most beautiful mrs. claus you've ever seen? >> yes, she is. she's very beautiful. and she was a wonderful mrs. claus at school. yes, she was. >> school was so much fun. you know, of course, when i was hanging out with all of you guys, there was tons of cookies and cupcakes and cakes. >> santa's got to maintain his figure. >> there you go.

>> thanks for helping out the big guys. we appreciate it. just ahead, two of the stars of nbc's upcoming live broadcast of "the sound of music." but first, these messages. ♪ as your life and career change, fidelity is there for your personal economy, helping you readjust your retirement plan along the way, rethink how you're invested, and refocus as your career moves forward. wherever you are today, a fidelity i.r.a. has a wide range of investment choices to help you fine-tune your personal economy. call today, and we'll make it easy to move that old 401(k) to a fidelity i.r.a. for those nights when it's more than a bad dream, be ready. for the times you need to double-check the temperature on the thermometer, be ready. for high fever, nothing works faster or lasts longer. be ready with children's motrin.

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♪ a needle pulling thread ♪ la, a note to follow sew we are all excited for a big event here on nbc on thursday night. it is the live production of "the sound of music," a classic coming to tv like you have never seen it before. >> there you see her, carrie underwood, music country superstar will play maria, and laura will play the baroness.

you get a kiss in this, don't you? >> i do. i kiss in a roll down a hill. >> don't spoil it. i've never seen that one before. >> a spoiler. >> this is going to be a little different. you've both in productions of "the sound of music," but this is not for people familiar with maria. this is not the movie or even the stage production. what's different about it? >> it's a sort of hybrid. it is actually the stage production but it's going to be televised. and so the order of the songs is a little different than what you're used to with the movie. but i think that's the reason to do it. no one can remake the movie. julie andrews is an icon and that movie is so iconic. we're just trying to bring the stage production to people's living rooms. >> this is live? >> yes. >> i keep seeing promotions for it. and i'm, like, baffled by it. how do you put this on live? that's kind of scary. >> well, we haven't done it yet. >> i know! >> our first performance is our preview opening and closing.

>> that's a lot of pressure. that's exciting, though. you know, we're used to doing live theater. yes, it's different because it's millions of people versus thousands of people. >> it's got to be a little different, though. i read an interesting article this weekend talking about how for all the people working on the production, the fact that you don't have an audience has really changed the way you go about, you know, getting into characters and doing your role. what is it like when you don't have an audience there? >> you go ahead. >> okay. >> you're in college. i mean, we've both done it although laura's done it in a much bigger way. i'd say i'm so used to the pauses where there's clapping and laughter. so that is interesting for me. i'm, like, oh, no, we're still going. there is no break. and then everyone asks, you know, since there's no audience, how do you get the energy? but i think having the cameras and knowing that it's so much about your individual expressions. >> having a great cast and crew. we're really excited. we'll be watching for you this thursday night on nbc. >> no pressure. >> live at 8:00. you're going to be fantastic.

thanks for stopping by this morning. we do want to check in one more time with david gregory for a preview of what's coming up on "meet the press." good morning. >> more on the race to fix obama care. congressman mike rogers of michigan and chris van hollen of maryland are here to discuss that. plus one on one with cardinal timothy dolan, the archbishop of new york in our political roundtable all coming up on "meet the press." >> we'll be watching and looking forward to it. that's going to do it for us on this sunday morning. the "today" continues on monday here on nbc and of course lester tonight on the "nbc nightly news." we'll see you back here next weekend. happy shopping, everyone. have a great weekend.

see you next weekend. have a great weekend how can this happen? he just re leased a movie. i was watching it the other die. next thing you know, he's gone. >> reaction pouring in over the sedin death of paul walker. what fans are saying about his work. what police are saying about the crash that took his life. >> the day d.c. has waited 10 days for has arrived. counting down to a giant panda naming celebration. national zoo is pulling out all of the stops. >> everyone's waiting. good morning, i'm richard jordan. >> i'm erica gonzales. first off, breaking news, new york city.

police and ambulances on the scene of a train derailment in the bronx. >> check out the images, sheldon is on the scene. we don't know how many people were on the trains, fire officials say there are multiple injuries. >> as many as eight cars are off the tracks. we are staying on top of this. nbcwashington.com. >> tragic situation. especially on what is expected to be a very busy travel day today. a lot of people getting hole after the thanksgiving holiday. >> to your forecast. many just washingtoning up. meteorologist amelia segal. >> i checked flights across the nation right now, not seeing major delays. i am hearing reports in new england, around the boston area, very slick roads. if you're driving back to boston early this morning, hold off a couple of hours. right now,